How to check a FIDIC contract before signing
Identify the exact FIDIC form, edition and Particular Conditions before relying on familiar terminology or procedures from another project.
by Jack Butler-Kettle · About 4 min readShare
Before you start
Obtain the complete proposed agreement and identify the project country, governing law, parties, contract form and edition. Keep amendments and incorporated documents together.
Identify the proposed FIDIC form, edition and complete document set before checking its commercial terms. If the contract family is new to you, start with What is a FIDIC contract?.
The FIDIC Golden Principles address how amendments can affect the intended allocation of duties and risk. A FIDIC label does not prove those principles have been preserved.
This is a commercial review checklist, not an interpretation of a particular clause or confirmation of local legal requirements.
Step-by-step guide
1. Identify the contract and complete document set
Record the book, edition, reprint and amendments. Obtain the General Conditions, Particular Conditions, Contract Data and incorporated technical and commercial documents.
FIDIC’s 2017 Red Book description explains the form for works designed by the employer. Other books allocate design and delivery differently.
If you are a subcontractor, establish what your subcontract actually incorporates. Do not assume the main contract applies directly in full.
For a short operational checklist, choose the FIDIC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors, main contractors, clients.
2. Map responsibilities and changes to risk
Identify design, site information, access, permits, testing, performance and insurance responsibilities. Compare amendments with the licensed standard form available to the parties.
Record any unlimited, uncertain or difficult-to-insure obligation for specialist review. Check the relationship between technical requirements and commercial qualifications.
A commercial review can flag exposure; enforceability and local-law implications require the relevant legal adviser.
3. Check price, payment and security
Identify the price basis, currency, adjustment rules, taxes, advance payments, retention and security requirements. Reconcile these with your tender assumptions.
Check application, certification and payment procedures and what must accompany each submission. Do not transplant a JCT or NEC payment calendar.
Identify the financial effect of guarantees, bonds and advance repayment, including expiry and release conditions.
4. Map communications, time and claims procedures
List the relevant notice triggers, recipients, delivery methods and deadlines from the actual agreement. Include subsequent particulars and record requirements.
Distinguish operational correspondence from a notice under a specific clause. Keep the required language and platform in view.
No single notice deadline covers every FIDIC book, edition, amendment or event. Have uncertain or disputed requirements checked before relying on them.
5. Resolve qualifications and appoint the right support
Record the final commercial positions, outstanding legal questions and operational actions. Check dispute-board and dispute-resolution provisions with suitably qualified advisers.
For an initial discussion of scope, use Construction contract review before signing or Subcontract review before signing. Confirm relevant experience and the required jurisdictional support before instruction.
A general commercial review appointment does not include overseas legal advice, engineering certification or representation in proceedings unless separately and appropriately arranged.
Before you finish: Resolve material qualifications, identify local legal advice and confirm the complete agreed document set before signing.
Worked example
The facts
A fictional contractor receives a document described as a 2017 FIDIC form. Its Particular Conditions alter the required communication route.
What happens
The reviewer identifies the affected clauses and records which notices must use the specified platform.
The team confirms access, responsibility and how submission evidence will be retained.
Uncertain legal consequences are referred to the appropriate adviser before the qualification is closed.
What this shows
The review follows the proposed contract, rather than assuming a familiar standard-form process applies unchanged.
Project setup checklist
Complete this before starting work. Record the exact document and revision, who checked it and the action required for anything unresolved.
Free blank template for your own project. The completed example is shown below. No email address required.
View the completed example
Completed fictional example
Westhaven refurbishment · 14 October 2026 · Version 1.0
Project setup checklist
Scroll across if needed to read the whole record. A dash means no value has been entered.
| Check | Agreed position / source | Owner | Checked on | Status | Action / evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signed agreement | Order WH-042 signed 1 Oct 2026; scope rev C | Commercial lead | 2 Oct 2026 | Verified | Signed PDF in contract folder |
| Design responsibility | Scope section D: partition setting-out only | Design lead | 2 Oct 2026 | Verified | No structural design in package |
| Payment calendar | Schedule P rev 2; application 20 Oct; final payment 16 Nov | Accounts lead | 2 Oct 2026 | Verified | Diary entries PAY-01 |
| Insurance evidence | Required policy certificate not yet received | Commercial lead | 2 Oct 2026 | Open | Obtain current certificate by 5 Oct |
The completed example uses fictional people, events and records. Replace it with your own verified information and preserve supporting evidence.